AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ON: DANA ROAE

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ON: DANA ROAE This week’s spotlight is on Dana Roae who writes as Dana R. Lynn. Her latest book is PRESUMED GUILTY for the Love Inspired Suspense line of Harlequin.

PRESUMED GUILTY BOOK BLURB-DANA ROAE "I'm innocent!" After four years in prison for a crime she didn't commit, Melanie Swanson's finally free. Yet starting over brings a heavy load of challenges. Nearly everyone thinks she's guilty- including police lieutenant Jace Tucker. Jace's certainty cracks only when Melanie is repeatedly attacked, and when the people around her are picked off one by one. Melanie's clearly innocent- and terrified. Someone wants her dead to keep her shattered memories from recalling the crime she witnessed rather than caused. She lost her friends, her fiancé and her freedom when she was found guilty- but proving her innocence could cost Melanie her life.

Dana grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania with their three children and enough pets to open a petting zoo. In addition to writing, she works as an educational interpreter for the deaf and is active in several ministries at her church. Connect with Dana here:

www.facebook.com/WriterDanaLynn

www.twitter.com/DanaRLynn

www.authordanarlynn.wordpress.com

www.pinterest.com/writerdanarlynn

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ON: CECY ROBSON

Today's spotlight is on a New Adult and Contemporary Romance author!

New Adult & Contemporary Romance Author of the Shattered Past series, the O’Brien Family novels, & the Weird Girls Urban Fantasy series Penguin Random House CECY ROBSON is the New Adult and Contemporary author of the Shattered Past series, the O’Brien Family novels, and the award winning author of the Weird Girls Urban Fantasy Romance series. A self-proclaimed professional napper, Cecy counts among her talents a jaw-dropping knowledge of useless trivia, the ability to make her hair big, and a knack for breaking into song, despite her family’s vehement protests. A full-time writer, registered nurse, wife, and mother living in the South, Cecy enjoys spending time with her family and silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

ONCE PURE Blurb:

She bears the scars of the past. He blames himself for things he can’t control. Their defenses are up, but in Cecy Robson’s latest Shattered Past novel—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn—true love lands a knockout punch. Sofia Tres Santos remembers a time before her life went sour, before her innocence was ripped away, before she began punishing herself with risky behaviors and unworthy men. Now, at twenty, she just hopes she’s ready to rebuild some of what she lost. One way or another, it always comes back to her childhood friend and longtime crush, Killian O’Brien. As strong as Killian is, Sofia has always been his one weakness. He knows Sofia has suffered and wants to ensure she’s never hurt again—not like before, and definitely not under his watch. When Sofia agrees to work at his mixed martial arts gym, Killian seizes the opportunity to help and protect the sweet girl he’s always cared for. And yet, as he trains Sofia to defend herself using his hard-hitting MMA techniques, he’s drawn to the vulnerable beauty in ways he never expected. As Sofia grows stronger, she also grows brave enough to open herself up to love. And along the way, she challenges everything Killian believes to be true, showing him that no matter how much he dominates in the ring, the real battle is fought in the heart.

 Advance praise for ONCE PURE:

“The sexual tension between Sofia and Killian is super steamy; the passion builds with every page.”—RT Book Reviews

“Sexy and heartbreaking, Once Pure is an excellent, emotional read.”—New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy

“Intense and powerfully emotional, Cecy Robson’s Once Pure grabs hold of your heart from the first page and doesn’t let go until the last.”—USA Todaybestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly

Get your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Pure-Shattered-Past-Robson-ebook/dp/B00P54ZO3Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1432306627&sr=1-1&keywords=Once+Pure

 CONNECT WITH CECY HERE:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Dirty Boys of Summer Pre-Order Info!

The Dirty Boys of Summer will be released June 2, 2015 featuring FOUR Seymour Agency authors, Carey Corp, Julie Cross, Tamara Mataya, and Lynn Rush along with other names you might recognize! Order your copy from Amazon today

Pre-orders and Parties

SIXTEEN Full-Length Novels! Only $0.99 DIRTY BOYS OF SUMMER is available for PRE-ORDER

The official release date is June 2nd, 2015, and it's only available until July 5th, 2015.

Authors / Books Involved:
C.L. Stone: Liar: The Scarab Beetle Series
Lynn Rush: Frostbite
Krista & Becca Ritchie: Kiss the Sky
Julie Prestsater: Before Someday – Part One: The Wait Dawn Rae Miller: Crushed
Tamara Mataya: The Sowing
Rachel Higginson: Bet on Us
Jen Fredrick: Unspoken
Julie Cross: Letters to Nowhere
Carey CorpC: The Halo Chronicles: The Guardian Marisa Cleveland: Accidental Butterfly
Opal Carew: Taken by Storm
Jamie Blair: Lost to Me
Avery Aster: Love, Lex (Undergrad Years)
Evangeline Anderson: The Academy
Gennifer Albin: Teaching Roman

Pre-order it today for only $0.99!!

... and then CLICK HERE to RSVP for the Facebook Party on June 2nd. It's going to be epic. There's even an entry on the giveaway just for you if you RSVP for the party!

...and don't forget to enter the amazing GIVEAWAY after you pre-order!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ON: CHANTELE SEDGWICK

Today’s spotlight is on Chantele Sedgwick who writes young adult. Her latest book is LOVE, LUCAS, it released on May 5, 2015.

Her agent is Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency.

Chantele Sedgwick is a young adult author, harpist, and major book nerd. She loves happy endings, Kit Kats, and (judging by her bookshelves) buying way too many books. She is the author of Not Your Average Fairy Tale and Not Your Average Happy Ending. She resides in Roy, Utah, with her husband and four children.

LOVE, LUCAS book blurb: When Oakley Nelson loses her older brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she’ll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend a few months in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn’t sure a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.

In California, Oakley discovers a sort of safety and freedom in Aunt Jo’s beach house. Once they’re settled, Mom hands her a notebook full of letters addressed to her—from Lucas. As Oakley reads one each day, she realizes how much he loved her, and each letter challenges her to be better and to continue to enjoy her life. He wants her to move on.

If only it were that easy.

But then a surfer named Carson comes into her life, and Oakley is blindsided. He makes her feel again. As she lets him in, she is surprised by how much she cares for him, and that’s when things get complicated. How can she fall in love and be happy when Lucas never got the chance to do those very same things?

With her brother’s dying words as guidance, Oakley knows she must learn to listen and trust again. But will she have to leave the past behind to find happiness in the future?

Buy Link:

Find Chantele here: Chantele Sedgwick (website)

 Chantele Sedgwick, Author (Facebook)

@chantelesedg (Twitter)

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: PEPPER D. BASHAM

This week’s blog post highlights one of the Seymour Agency’s authors: 

Pepper D. Basham. 

Pepper writes inspirational fiction and her book, The Thorn Bearer released in April, 2015.

Have a look!

 Amazon- The Thornbearer (Penned in Time Book 1) - Kindle edition by Pepper Basham. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

B&N - The Thorn Bearer

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=The+Thorn+Bearer

 The Thorn Bearer- May 2015

Ashleigh Dougall is running away.

When her fiancé leaves her eight months before their wedding, the unexpected blow ignites a battalion of insecurities stemming from her father’s intimate betrayal. Her worst fears are confirmed – who could ever love a soiled woman?

In an attempt to escape her shame, Ashleigh boards the ill-fated Lusitania to cross the war-torn waters of Europe. Much to her dismay, she isn’t traveling alone.

Sam Miller is always making up for his best friend’s mistakes. Determined to help his childhood friend, Ashleigh, he offers his compassion and companionship as she ventures across a perilous sea. With the faint hope of renewing his lost love for Ashleigh’s sister, Sam never expects to find the woman of his dreams in the love of his childhood friend.

As they travel across the Atlantic, neither is prepared for the life-altering and heart-breaking journey of their friendship.

When the truth of Ashleigh’s past explodes in the middle of a hospital in England and Sam rejects her, Ashleigh must decide if God is enough – or if the double weight of her betrayal and past will crush her life forever.

From the decks of the ill-fated Lusitania to the hospitals of the English countryside, Ashleigh must choose between the forgiveness of her past, life in the present, and a Savior who can rescue her from them all.

Pepper D. Basham

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She’s a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate. She enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction whenever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she works with kids with special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn and her debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in April 2015. 

You can connect with Pepper on her website at: www.pepperdbasham.com, Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pepper-D-Basham 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pepperbasham

Take Care,

Kathleen

Kathleen S. Allen

Literary Assistant

SPOTLIGHT ON: KATHLEEN S. ALLEN

SPOTLIGHT ON:

 

Kathleen S. Allen-Literary Assistant

Greetings All,

This week’s spotlight is on, well, me. I’m the newest addition to the Seymour Agency’s staff as  a literary assistant and I’ll be maintaining the weekly blog spotlighting authors among other duties yet to be determined.

Who am I?

Like many of you, I’m a writer and a reader. I’ve been reading since I was three and I’m a quick reader. I try and read five to seven novels in a week but it doesn’t always work out. I’ve been known to read a novel in two hours. 

I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy first then moved onto other genres. When I was fifteen I decided to  use the list of 100 classics from my local library and read those. It took me a while but I’m proud to say I made it through their list.

One of my favorite authors is Anne McCaffrey, a SF/F author who wrote The Dragonriders of Pern among others. Her Harper Hall Trilogy is one of my faves.

I write young adult and adult speculative fiction. I’ve dabbled in MG and picture books but YA is my favorite genre both to read and write. However, I do love to read cozy mysteries and have written two. I am published with small presses and self-published. I am seeking representation.

I’m a pop culture fanatic and a Whedonist. I’m also a Whovian (Tennant is my Doctor), am Sherlocked and Hiddlestonian.  My fave TV show at the moment is iZombie. Past TV shows I’ve loved: Veronica Mars, Wonderfalls, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Dark Angel, Being Human (the BBC version), Broadchurch (of course), Wire in the Blood, Inspector Lynley, Endeavour, Inspector Lewis, Midsomer Murders, Robin Hood, Ripper Street, Musketeers, Doctor Who. Torchwood—pretty much most BBC dramas.  

I have two cats, one is a new kitten who’s still getting the lay of the land and one is an older cat who thinks the kitten is annoying and has too much energy (she does).

I have a Master’s in Children’s Literature with an emphasis on creative writing for YA. 

I’m on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook and I have a website (see links below). Feel free to reach out to me on social media.

I’m excited to be one of the excellent staff at Seymour!

Take Care,

Kathleen

Find Kathleen here:  
Twitter: @kathleea
Tumblr:  kathleea.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kathleea
Website: http://www.kathleensallen.weebly.com
Storybird: http://storybird.com/books/caseys-red-shoes/

Wattpad stories: http://www.wattpad.com/51224789-birthright-entire-book?utm_source=web&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_reading&ref_id=2023464

http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/36805866-stalking-death

My mantra

Spotlight: Shelia Davis

Today’s BIG WIG Spotlight is on Shelia Davis, and we have to say, after chatting with her for an hour, we can’t wait for you to meet her in this spotlight and also at the Golisano Children’s Museum Big Wig Night at the Museum event on Saturday, February 7, 2015.

~~ Q&A with Shelia Davis ~~

If you had to describe yourself, and you could only use three words, what would those three words be?

Passionate. Loyal. Energetic.

Why do you feel a children's museum is important to a community?

I believe our children are our future. It’s the community’s responsibility to provide a nurturing and caring environment for them to grow.

What inspires you?

My love of God coupled with my three beautiful children and my wonderful family and friends.

If you could offer just one piece of advice to anyone, what would it be?

Be true to yourself.

What are your pet peeves?

Dishonest and unkind people. People who don’t stay true to themselves.

~~ ...and let’s get a bit more personal! ~~

Do you sing in the shower?

Absolutely

What's the one thing you can't live without?

Norman Love Chocolates and red wine

Note to Risa… if you’d like an icebreaker to say hello to this gracious big wig, offer her Norman Love Chocolates!

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks, or hardcover?

Hardcover

~~ Time for a little local promotion! ~~

What is the name of the last restaurant where you ate dinner?

Sea Salt of Naples

We love Sea Salt of Naples! Oooooh, maybe one day we’ll rub shoulders with her there!

~~ Fast Facts ~~

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Morning or night? 24/7

Rivers or oceans? Oceans

Beaches or pools? Beaches

Dark or milk chocolate? Dark

Health food or junk food? Health food

Flowers or chocolates? Both

Cupcakes or ice cream? Grace & Shelly's cupcakes

Laptop or desktop? Laptop

Casual or couture? Couture

Ponytail or headband? Ponytail

Motorcycle or bicycle? Bicycle

Shelia sounds like the friend every woman should have! Loyal, caring about the community, staying true to herself… Norman Love, red wine, and Grace & Shelly’s cupcakes!

But here’s what makes her a supernova on our radar:

Shelia Davis is a competitive ballroom dancer!!! How seriously awesome is that?!? She began dancing three years ago, turning competitive one year later.

Of course we wanted to know which dance was her favorite, but she loves all the dances. For her, it’s all about the music. When she connects to a perfect song, then that dance is her favorite.

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog! We hope to see you at The Golisano Children's Museum's Big Wigs Night at the Museum on Saturday, February 7, 2015. For tickets, sponsorship, or more information, please visit www.cmon.org or call 239-260-1714.

Spotlight: Simone & Scott Lutgert

5 Facts from BIG WIGS Simone and Scott Lutgert

5. They went to a presentation about the Museum at Bill Barnett's house almost 10 years ago and thought it was an amazing project. Because Simone love kids so much, she wanted to help make it a reality. She brought Scott along on her crazy adventure, and he's been an amazing sport.

4. In the past 20 years since Simone's been in town, she's seen Naples grow from a sleepy retirement community to a vibrant multi-generational community. It is a much more desirable area because the Children's Museum offers so much. It's not only a place where children can play and learn, but also a place for families to interact; a place where teens can work; a place where all ages can volunteer, etc.

3. Simone is involved in most of the fundraising events for the Museum because she wants to be sure the Museum is sustainable for the future. She's involved even more this year because she can't say NO to Vicki Tracy, and she knew  Vicki would make it fun!!

2. Her most favorite part about last year's event was playing in the Museum. She loved all the experimental activities that the attendees were exposed to and which some are now a part of the Museum.

1. She doesn't have one favorite part of the museum. She loves them all!

~ Bonus Material! ~

White or red wine? --- RED

Morning or evening? --- 24/7

Paperback books or eReader? --- Kindle

Beach or pool? --- Beach

Cars or airplanes? --- Cars

In her own words: "I'm pretty much an open book. If someone wants to know something about me, all they have to do is ask. Most people know that I'm just a big kid who loves to help others."

We can't wait to meet Simone and Scott at the Big Wigs Night at the Museum on February 7th!

... and now for the giveaway...

Always be in fashion with a C'mon t-shirt! See Rafflecopter details to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please call 239-260-1714 or visit cmon.org for tickets or sponsorship information for Big Wigs Night at the Museum.

Kim and Philip Collins

Today it's my pleasure to welcome BIG WIGS Kim and Philip Norris Collins to the blog!

The Big Wigs Night at the Museum has a new platinum sponsor!

Kim and Philip Norris Collins, sponsors of Big Wigs Night at the Museum and proud sponsors of C’mon Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples are looking forward to Big Wigs, an exciting event that is scheduled for Saturday, February 7, 2015 at C’mon.

The Collins/Norris family have been most instrumental in helping create what Naples is today through their philanthropic endeavors. Kim and Phil are honored to support the extraordinary works of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples where children learn in a creative and imaginative environment.

Phil is Broker Associate with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty and has over thirty years of experience in the luxury real estate market, representing some of the most discerning buyers and sellers from around the world. Kim Collins is a Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo.

Please call 239-260-1714 or visit cmon.org for tickets or sponsorship information for Big Wigs Night at the Museum.

Author Patricia Bradley

Today we're spotlighting romantic suspense author Patricia Bradley and her book, Shadows of the Past!

Patricia's tagline:

Where love and faith cross paths with murder

According to Patricia's website, she's a romantic suspense author living in the Deep South, and her short stories have been published in Woman's World.

About Shadows of the Past:

Psychology professor and criminal profiler Taylor Martin prides herself on being able to solve any crime, except the one she wants most desperately to solve -- the disappearance of her father twenty years ago. When she finally has a lead on his whereabouts, Taylor returns home to Logan Point, Mississippi, to investigate. But as she is stalking the truth about the past, someone is stalking her.

Nick Sinclair pens mystery novels for a living, but the biggest mystery to him is how he can ever get over the death of his wife -- a tragedy he believes he could have prevented. With his estranged brother the only family he has left, Nick sets out to find him. But when he crosses paths with Taylor, all he seems to find is trouble.

Join the chase as this determined duo search the murky shadows of the past for the keys to unlocking the present and moving into a future filled with new hope and love. Readers will be swept into the sultry South in this debut novel from a promising and already-winning writer.

Connect with Patricia!

Website: http://www.patriciabradleyauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PTBradley1

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley

Hearts Stolen by Caryl McAdoo

Hearts Stolen (A Texas Romance Book 2)

Unbeknownst to loved ones, a headstrong young wife is snatched off the prairie by two Comanche braves, carried north of the Red River, and traded to their war chief for ponies. After five years, a small detail of Texas Rangers rides into camp, and she determines that day will bring freedom or death. She’ll remain captive no more. Sassy Nightengale almost gives up hope until a company of Texas Rangers rides into Bold Eagle’s peace camp. She learns they’ve come for the negotiated exchange of stolen white women, except her name isn’t on their list. Purposing in her heart to escape captivity with her blue eyed, four- year-old that day, she does everything she can to be noticed. Famed Texas Ranger Levi Baylor spots the red headed beauty and agrees to the war chief’s price adding his personal horse and weapon to the Republic agents’ offerings. The trade propels the couple on a trail of joy and sorrow. Sweet love blossoms but must be denied. His integrity and her faith in God keep them at arm’s length, not allowing even a kiss. Sassy’s still married to her son’s father, and Levi’s honor bound to deliver her home—to her husband. Can their forbidden love be made holy? God hates divorce. Is it wrong to hope, expect Nightengale to relinquish his wife and son? Will Sassy and Levi find the redemption they seek for their troubled souls?


About Caryl:

Caryl McAdoo was born in Long Beach, California, but got to Texas as quickly as possible at the too-young-to-remember-anything-else age of six months and celebrated her first birthday—and all the rest since—as a Texan. Growing up in Northwest Dallas, as a seventh grader at Letot Elementary, a homework assignment required an essay on ‘What will you be doing in 2000?’ Looking into the future, Caryl saw herself as an inter-galactically famous author, streaking from planet to planet signing books.

That same year, her family moved past the Big D city limits to Irving where she met her husband (an Irving High School football hero) the summer before their junior year, married him quick as they graduated (she from the town rival Mac Arthur High), birthed four children, and enjoyed life close to lots of family and friends. Irving was her lifelong home until 2008 when she and Ron followed God’s leading to Red River County in far North East Texas.

Though she’d dreamed of penning novels, her husband started writing first. An avid reader, Ron read a disappointing novel and thought, ‘If that lady can get published, I know I can!’ He began a story in ‘89, Caryl joined in—they do pretty much everything together—and by ‘91 they’d hand written their first three hundred eighty page novel, a Biblical fiction titled IN THE BEGINNING as yet to be published. (Side note – first books usually needed to be re-written the most!)

God directed the McAdoos to the DFW Writers’ Workshop in ’93, and they discovered they’d made all the beginner mistakes a writer could possibly make—every one! But a few of the published authors saw something there, took Ron and Caryl under their wings, and mentored them. Six years later, their first co-authored non-fiction was published ANTIQUING IN NORTH TEXAS followed the next year by GREAT FIREHOUSE COOKS OF TEXAS. Attending weekly read and critique sessions, they averaged publishing a title a year from four presses: the two non-fiction, four novels, and three mid-grade chapter books.

  

After one year of empty-nesting, the McAdoos started over with a new ready-made family of four grandsons, ages six, four, three, and newborn, and writing took a back seat. Well, actually it pretty much went all the way to the trunk. But the move to Clarksville, Texas, she and Ron founded the Red River Writers’ Workshop and resumed their passion. That led the couple to also join the North East Texas Writers’ Organization (NETWO) in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

In April, 2012, Caryl met Mary Sue Seymour at NETWO’s Spring Conference and wrote her first historical Christian romance set in the 1800s especially for the agent. (Whose maiden name was remarkably ‘McAdoo’!) Mary Sue offered representation in August, and VOW UNBROKEN sold in October to Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. It debuts on March 4, 2014.

Six months later, book two in the Texas Romance series debuted, HEARTS STOLEN set in 1839-1844, Then two months later a new Biblical fiction series The Generations was born with volume one A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS, the story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Sheriah, and Abel in Paradise with a kindly old cherub named Namrel!

Caryl, also known as Grami, has fourteen grandsugars (one more than she has books now) and enjoys painting and gardening. A proclaimed psalmist, she’s dedicated to serving God, loving praise and worship and that He frequently gives her new songs. Caryl believes all good things are from Him and prays her new books will minister His love, mercy, and grace to her readers.


Buy HEARTS STOLEN:  Amazon

Connect with Caryl

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Tweetables!

Check out @carylmcadoo's spotlight for Hearts Stolen! http://seymouragency.blogspot.com @seymouragency 

A Texas romance! @carylmcadoo @seymouragency spotlight! http://seymouragency.blogspot.com